The Blind Leading The Blind September 17, 2014
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Humor, People.trackback
I read a post written by a twenty-something someone who flew halfway around the world and then spent his first three weeks in Thailand drinking Buckets of Beer at night and being hung-over during the day.
He suggested that we all add Travel to our Bucket List . . . to maintain life balance.
Dude! Are you sure you’re the best person to give us advice on maintaining life balance?
Another twenty-something recommended travel as one of the best ways to learn about ourselves and our priorities.
What did he learn? That the highlight of his trip to South America was his excitement at the thought of returning home.
Before blindly following advice from others, it’s a good idea to make sure they know where they are going first.
Aah . . . that’s better!
If you are headed for the mountain top, why do you care what the people in the valley are doing? ~ Guy Finley (The Secret of Letting Go)
Related Post: The Extrapolation Temptation
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Aahh yes …. the wisdom of youth …. 😉
And what a waste of a journey.
Val x
“Wherever you go . . . there you are.”
Our interior landscape is far more important than our external environment.
Our future leaders…scary thought.
Both articles were well-written from a technical sense, but some of the content just sounded like non-sense.
Some of the most well traveled people I’ve come across are actually the most smug, selfish people I’ve come across.
I expect they travel in order to distance themselves from themselves . . . to no avail. 😎
I think you just nailed it!
Wherever they go . . . their shadows are sure to follow.
When I’m headed to the mountain top, I’m too worried about snakes, bears, mountain lions (or tumbling to my death) to think about the people in the valley below. 🙂
Haha! Keep your eyes wide open. 😯
Always!
I don’t think at that age we (anyone) can really understand balance!
But, I’m kinda with the 2nd guy, I have a feeling that if I traveled, the lesson I would learn is that the most exciting part for me would be coming home! I love adventure, but I love my home! 🙂
I agree, Kate. For me, the BEST part of any trip is walking in my front door. That’s why I find it amusing that he’s encouraging everyone to travel MORE. 😛
LOL – right?!? 🙂
Everyone’s an ‘expert’!! Such a great post and quote at the end – love it! 🙂
I love that quote! I great reminder to stop looking around to see what “they” are doing and just get on with our own lives.
Whenever I do a (writing-themed) post questioning expert advice, I get a bunch of “Yes! Thank you!” comments from grateful readers who are tired of being told what they should do and think.
“Yes! Thank you!” haha – for real, I know exactly what you mean. It’s funny, writing has been a great way for me to bust through those annoying perfectionist tendencies. I got so sick of being told what was ‘right’ I just started doing what felt true for me.
That may be the only real way to enjoy writing… writing for yourself. If others like it too, all the better!
Telling people what to do is the way many “experts” distract themselves from an inner emptiness they cannot seem to fill.
Others made a wrong turn somewhere . . . and want company on their path. 😛
I am not a good traveler, I like coming home. And I for sure wouldn’t be drinking buckets of beer and being hung-over during the day. Just typing that is depressing!
I agree. I’m NOT adding “Drink BUCKETS of beer in Thailand” to my bucket list. 😛
The White Temple, riding an elephant, Erawan Falls, the floating market of Damnoen Saduak; and the writer drank buckets of beer at night and spent his days hung over? Thailand and he would have been better served by a staycation filled with cases of Bud and a webcam.
Exactly my thought, VG. If he’d written a post advocating armchair travels and staycations, it would have made more sense. 😎
Like Dorothy, I think there’s no place like home. I’ve traveled the world and personally I’ve always found that the anticipation of the trip was much better than the actual trip itself. Invariably, I’ve been happiest when I got back home, where selective memory on my part gradually transforms the trip in my mind’s eye, into the glorious experience I’d wanted it to be to begin with.
I’m with you, Judson.
I’ve had some wonderful moments traveling ~ great scenery, fun experiences, good food, etc. But I’m not convinced that travel is a necessary adjunct to living life to its fullest.
It can compliment our other experiences, sure. It’s great for some of the people some of the time. But . . . there are other ways to fill our days that have far more benefit, value, and worth than, let’s say, drinking buckets of beer at the beach.
It’s like when people with no children try to give me parenting advice.
The old . . . “I know what I would do if I were in your shoes.” Only they are NOT in your shoes. 😉
Some folks assume a child will react excatly the way you expect them to every time. It doesn’t quite work out that way.
When people are “too consistent,” it’s almost always a dead give away that they are wearing a mask. They’ve decided how they want to be perceived, so they play that “role” when out in public. We can almost predict what they are going to say or do before they do.
In contrast, Kids are far more “real” . . . hence their innate and inherent inconsistency.
Too right. But when traveling, I’ve never been ready to go home.
Then, for you, it makes sense to add “more travel” to your bucket list.
I’m convinced that travel is over-rated. I would rather make something or improve something or spend time with family, but that’s just me.
Agreed. People often go through life saying, “I want what she’s having.” Seeing that X values travel causes Y to want to travel . . . and causes Y to want Z to value travel too.
Because what fun is it to do, buy, wear, eat, read, or watch something that others don’t value?
Even if Y doesn’t enjoy travel, Y wants to feel that she is putting her time on the planet to good use. So Y recommends that A, B, and C travel too.
Hills may seem green far away….. until you get there. Only then do you discover they look just like the green, green grass of home!
I would still like to visit England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales at some point. And maybe Greece and Italy.
But I’m not consumed with the idea of travel as a means to learn about myself. I’ve learned plenty about myself right in my own backyard.
Reminds me of the time I took a vacation out of the country. On the flight back the guy in the seat next to me complained that they didn’t have US domestic beer, pizza like he could get at home and on and on. I asked if he tried the local food and drinks. He said he doesn’t like to try stuff he doesn’t know. What on earth was the point?
The architecture? The people? The amazing vistas?
For me, one of the best part of traveling is trying local FOOD . . . as long as it tastes good. When we went to the Bahamas the first time, we tried Conch Fritters, Conch Chowder, Goombay Punch, etc. Meh.
We did enjoy the British influence ~ Shephard’s Pie, Fish & Chips, Bangers and Mash. The reason I want to go to Greece and Italy is because of the FOOD.
We were coming back from Brazil. The food was excellent! Local beef (sorry) was fabulous. Local booze was fabulous. Wonderful seasonings. OMG! I’m getting hungry. Was in Greece and guess what? I loved the food! I doubt if this guy noticed the vistas either. Not like home.
I’m sure you’re right . . . I was giving Mr. Bozo the benefit of the doubt. 😉
Glad you enjoyed the Brazilian experience ~ from beef to booze to seasonings. And Greece ~ yum!
I remember being 20 and knowing it all – I had life sussed and thought the oldies knew nothing! 🙂 Life is a journey and along the way we realise we know very little and as we get towards the end we turn with empathy towards those who are just starting out
Empathy and compassion is good . . . we’re all fighting a “hard battle.” But their advice still tickles my funny bone chakra.
Travel, reading, talking to people… If we open our hearts and minds, they can introduce us up to other points of view. Although I think most travel is too fast. We visit the museums and tourist attractions and get a quick glimpse of the people who live there and still don’t understand what it’s like to be them.
I think that’s exactly right. To really soak up the essence of a community takes more than a casual breezing through while admiring the food, architecture, and scenery.
I haven’t travelled that much, A far bit of Australia, (usually sleeping in a tent) some of Europe, Bali… though we planned where to go, once we arrived part of the joy was just enjoying the new environment. I didn’t mind getting lost (which happened quite a bit in Europe) but i was happy to discover unexpected places. My companion got quite stressed when we got lost but after a while he ‘caught some of my mellowness’ and mostly enjoyed wherever we ended up, I hope! I guess you learn something about yourself when you travel. I’d love to go to one place for a longer term next time and just take it all in. Meanwhile it’s fun playing tourist in your own town! 🙂 Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
Glad you enjoyed your travels and learned something about yourself in the process. Cheers!
Thanks. 🙂
The older I get, the more I’m convinced that it’s true that youth is wasted on the young. Wisdom for some of us comes too late to do anything meaningful with it. Life seems so backwards sometimes.
Yes! Backwards is right. Now that I know HOW to do it . . . I’ve lost the desire and motivation to do it.
If someone asks me to recommend where to stay in the Algarve I’m reluctant to give advice. A blogger wrote to me recently and asked for some places to camp… geesh I’ve never been camping so I’m the last person to ask 🙂
I feel the same, PiP. I’ve never stayed in any of the hotels, motels, inns, B&B’s around here. I don’t know which are good values. I’m will suggest restaurants if we’ve eaten there.
Such a hot button for me, this post, Nancy. I remember spending a day in Pompeii and at dinner that night, asking a young traveling companion what they thought. “It was different” was his remark after having seen one of the great wonders of ancient civilization. Youth is wasted on the young.
Before buying into the ubiquitous advice to “Travel More,” we should consider the WHY and the WHAT. WHY do we want to travel? WHAT do we hope to get out of the expenditure of time and energy. Are we just trying to get away from every day life . . . or do we have a true desire to EXPERIENCE something different?
This is amusing! A part of me wanted to be a traveler, to “see the world”, but in reality, travel is like alcohol for me: a little goes a long way 🙂
Same here. The best part of most trips for me is walking in the front door on our return home.